Quite wrongly, many women endure pain and muscle cramps during their period believing it to be normal. But it isn’t, especially those that cause excessive pain. More importantly, it could be a signal or symptom for something more serious like an infection or disease. However, menstrual pain isn’t all that bad. In fact, it is an indicator of women’s health. Studies have proven that women who experience menstrual pains are more fertile, as the pains are closely-linked to ovulation cycles.
Good or bad, menstrual pain is still a source of discomfort and must be relieved. Menstrual pain can occur a day before or during the actual menstruation. Usually centering on the lower abdominal muscles to the pelvic area, the pain usually spreads to the back and thighs. In other women, it can also cause chills, nausea, or fever. But since medical attention can’t be had readily, educators about women’s health have advised several methods to relieve menstrual pain.
Menstrual cramp medications are readily available in drug stores. Some can be as common as a painkiller medication like naproxen or ibuprofen. They limit or stop the release of pain signals called prostaglandin. This translates into lesser pain. As some cramps are caused by blood clots that impede the release of menstrual flow, these medications also work prevent blood clots. Also, since these medicines are non-aspirin or narcotic-based, women with allergies or even younger girls can safely take them. In addition, these medicines can be taken before or during the onset of cramps, eliminating the need to keep timetables of medicine intake. Women can also change brands if the formulation of their old brand does not work well anymore. Keep in mind to ingest one that lasts for 10-12 hours before sleeping at night. The availability of cramp medications is truly a big leap for women’s health.
Regular exercise had been also proven to prevent or stop menstrual pains. Jogging, brisk walking, and other varieties of physical activity releases toxins and stress from the body which could worsen cramping. Diet also plays a big part in alleviating cramps and menstrual pains. It is advised to avoid eating food with high salt content which is water-retentive as this could raise the bloating factor that usually accompanies cramping. Plus, being fit is a major step in keeping women’s health in-check.
Lastly, it is imperative that menstrual pain or cramping that doesn’t go away should be reported to the doctor immediately. It is also a good idea to get annual reproductive system check-ups such as Pap-smears. Remember that women’s health are dependent on a precarious hormonal balance. It would save women much time and trouble to have diseases or irregularities checked and corrected even before they develop to full-blown diseases.
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